City in the Sky
by Courier999
Summary: Booker's quest for absolution and survival- now in novel form. Rated T for cursing, racism, smoking, drinking, sexual themes/references, violence, and other touchy things. R&R!
1. Utopia

BIOSHOCK INFINITE: City in The Sky

_BioShock Infinite_ is property of Take-Two Interactive.

Chapter 1: Utopia

COAST OF MAINE, 1912:

"_We predict rough weather tonight at sea-_" the radio played.

"Don't give a toss." a woman replied.

In a rowboat, Booker DeWitt watched as his mysterious employers rowed him out to sea.

"Can we hurry up?" Booker yelled.

Silence.

"He DOESN'T row." the woman muttered.

After roughly 2 and a half hours, the boat arrived at a lonely lighthouse and Booker was ejected.

_Bring us the girl. Wipe away the debt._

THE DAY BEFORE:

"Where do you want the girl?" Booker asked.

"Any major city. New York, Boston, Philadelphia, New Orleans, San Francisco, Chicago, St. Louis, London, or Paris." the woman answered.

_Bring us the girl. Wipe away the debt._

Booker entered the lighthouse. Some odd music was playing. In front of him was a basin and the boast OF THY SINS I SHALL WASH THEE.

"Good luck with that, pal." Booker commented to nobody in particular.

He climbed the stairs to the top of the lighthouse and noticed three bells: a scroll, a sword, and a key. Booker rang them, only to be met with a loud siren and a red light. Out of nowhere, a red velvet chair rose up.

"Why not?" Booker muttered.

Almost immediately after he sat down, Booker found himself shackled. Cast iron walls rose up and encased the chair. Like the chair, they were covered in red velvet.

"Launch in 5-"

"Abort launch!"

"4-"

"Why won't it abort!"

"3-"

"Damn-"

"2-"

"Oh, sh-"

"1-"

"Son of a-"

"Ignition."

Booker was pushed deeper into the chair as the projectile he now found himself in roared skyward. After what seemed like an eternity, the roar of the projectile's drivers ceased. Booker looked out the single porthole of the projectile and saw a city in the sky. It looked like something out of a storybook, with Neoclassical architecture and American flags. A dirigible floated past the window.

After a good ten minutes, the projectile set itself down and was lowered. As it descended, Booker saw inscriptions on the beams. The firs beam read"WHY WOULD HE SEND HIS SAVIOR UNTO US". The next beam: "IF WE SHOULD NOT RAISE A FINGER FOR OUR OWN SALVATION?". A third was adorned with "AND THOUGH WE DESERVED NOT HIS MERCY". Next was "HE HAS LED US TO THE NEW EDEN." Finally: "A LAST CHANCE FOR REDEMPTION." A few minutes later, the machine passed by a colossal portrait of a white man with a white beard looming over crowds like Moses backlit by sunlight. Once it had finally stopped moving, Booker exited the contraption and noticed that the floor was covered with water. It was as if a colossal baptismal font had been smashed. He looked up and saw an inscription above the portrait: "AND THE PROPHET SHALL LEAD THE PEOPLE TO THE NEW EDEN." As he wandered the halls and chapels, all illuminated by candlelight, his attention was caught by a stained glass window. Beneath the window was an inscription: "AND IN MY WOMB SHALL GROW THE SEED OF THE PROPHET". Beneath that was a device with a vinyl record protruding. Booker picked up the contraption and hit a button. The needle made contact with the record, and a woman's voice began to play.

"_Love the Prophet, because he loves the sinner. Love the sinner, because he is you. Without the sinner, what need is there for a redeemer? Without sin, what grace has forgiveness?_" the recording played.

"Who's this prophet guy?" Booker muttered.

Resuming his wanderings, Booker meandered through the many chapels of his location, reading the stained glass windows as he passed. One read: "THE LAMB. THE FUTURE OF OUR CITY." The image was of the bearded man and a woman with a baby. Further on, he found himself at the top of a colossal staircase near a man in a white robe.

"Excuse me! Where am I?" Booker asked.

"Heaven, friend. Or as close as we'll see till Judgement Day." the man answered.

Booker descended the staircase, passing by more stained glass windows. These were adorned with keys, scrolls, and swords. After a long hike, he finally reached the bottom of the stairs, noticing a crowd listening to a preacher.

"And every year, on this day of days, we recommit ourselves to our city, and to our prophet, Father Comstock. We recommit through sacrifice, through the giving of thanks, and by submerging ourselves in the sweet waters of baptism. And lo, if the Prophet had struck down our enemies at Wounded Knee, and not rallied against the Sodom beneath us, it would have been enough. If the Prophet had just rallied against the Sodom beneath us, but not accepted the three golden gifts of the Founders, it would have been enough. If the Prophet had just accepted the three golden gifts of the Founders, and not prayed for our deliverance, it would have been enough. If the Prophet had just prayed for our deliverance, and not led us to this New Eden, it would have been enough. If the Prophet had just led us to this New Eden, and not purged the vipers of the Orient, it would have been enough. If the Prophet had just purged the vipers of the Orient, but not suffered the sacrifice of his beloved, it would have been enough. If the Prophet had just suffered the sacrifice of his beloved, but not expelled the Vox Populi, it would have been enough!"

Booker muscled his way through the huddled masses. Above the preacher was the sign "THIS PATH OF FORGIVENESS IS THE ONLY WAY TO THE CITY."

"Is it someone new? Someone from the Sodom below? Newly come to Columbia to be washed clean, before our Prophet, our Founders, and our Lord?" the preacher asked.

"I just need passage into the city." Booker answered.

"Passage to the city? Ha ha! Brother, the only way to Columbia is through rebirth in the sweet waters of baptism." the preacher replied.

Booker stared incredulously.

"Will you be cleansed, brother?"

The preacher outstretched his hand

_It's either this or turn around and get back on that rocket._ Booker thought.

Booker accepted. The preacher turned around, proclaiming to baptize his new follower in the name of "our Prophet, our Founders, and our Lord." The last thing Booker remembered before he passed out was being held under.


	2. The Republic

Chapter 2: The Republic

Booker awakened in a garden. More white-robed worshippers, this time bowing before giant statues of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. At the statues' feet lay gifts of money and apples.

"Citizen, are you all right?" a woman asked.

Booker nodded and left the garden, soaking in the scenery as he walked. The scents of peanuts, popcorn, and hot dogs wafted through the air. Memories returned of baseball games and dates. There was something…off about this flying city, however.

_Bring us the girl. Wipe away the debt_.

Booker trudged onwards, admiring the view. In the back of his head, he felt a nagging feeling that something was off. Suddenly, a nearby part of the city rearranged itself, extending a metal bridge to the platform where he stood. He casually sauntered across the bridge, whistling a few bars of "Turkey in the Straw" as he did.

A few minutes later, Booker entered a small shop on the next platform. He noticed a Kinetoscope nearby. From his wallet, he produced a quarter and dropped it into the box. The quarter fell out. Again and again, Booker tried putting the quarter into the machine, only for it to be rejected. Finally, he screamed in rage and kicked the machine.

"Buddy, take this." the man behind the counter requested.

The man tossed a coin to Booker.

"What is this?" he asked.

"Silver Eagle. Legal tender in this city." the other man answered.

Booker dropped the Silver Eagle into the Kinetoscope and put his eyes to it. About a minute later, he left the shop wondering who this Comstock fellow was. As he proceeded onward, he managed to get stopped by a long parade and then stopped by a girl selling flowers.. Just then, a young boy in a tan uniform stopped Booker and gave him a telegram. Booker began to read.

_DeWitt STOP_

_Do not alert Comstock to your presence STOP_

_Whatever you do, do not pick #77 STOP_

_Lutece_

Booker shrugged and continued on, Later, a barbershop quartet singing a song that was allegedly from the future caught his interest. After that, he arrived at a fairground. The scents of cotton candy, popcorn, peanuts, and hot dogs once again struck a cord. On a stage, a man was going on and on about something called "Vigors". After some target shooting, Booker approached a stall. Nearby was a woman with a tray containing bottles of something.

"Life is bigger with Vigors!" the woman shouted.

"And what is this?" Booker asked.

"Free samples of Possession! Good for getting money back from a vending machine!" the woman replied.

Booker took a bottle and drank it. Suddenly, his skin took on a green and glowing hue. Up ahead was a ticket taking machine. Booker concentrated and shot off the Vigor. Suddenly, the gates behind the machine opened up, and Booker continued onward.


	3. EitherOr

Chapter 3: Either/Or

Once through the gates, Booker noticed a propaganda poster with the warning "BEWARE THE FALSE PROPHET!" On the poster was the image of an outstretched right hand with the initials A.D. marked on it. Booker outstretched his hand and gulped.

_Hope nobody's really paying attention_. Booker thought to himself.

A while later, Booker arrived at some more gates with a signboard saying "COLUMBIA RAFFLE AND FAIR 1912" in front of them. He walked in, wandered around the park behind the gates, and then approached a stage. On the stage was a white man with a particularly ugly mustache and a top hat, greeting the crowd like a carnival barker would.

_For the love of God, shut up!_ Booker thought as he took his place in the crowd.

Just then, a young white girl carrying a basket of baseballs walked past. Booker grabbed one and noticed something. The number 77 was painted in red upon the ball. Booker gulped again. A few minutes later, the man with the mustache and the top hat drew a card from an urn held by the girl.

"…the winner is…number seventy-seven!" the man shouted.

Booker gulped as the crowd singled him out.

"Number seventy-seven, come and claim your prize!"

Behind the man, the curtains began to rise. And from behind the curtains emerged a white man and a black woman. Both were surrounded by cartoonish cutouts of monkeys. Booker concluded that they were husband and wife.

"First throw! First throw! First throw!" the crowd chanted.

Booker was stunned in horror. Already, he was remembering things.

GEORGIA, 1902:

"_Kill them savage crows, DeWitt! Or do you want to see what happens to carpetbaggers and scalawags who cross the Klan?_" the white robed man shouted.

"_Screw yourself, Little! Pinkertons don't do favors for the Klan!"_

"_Kill 'em, ya damn Yankee- or you die with 'em._"

The cries of the couple brought Booker back to reality. The ringleader of the raffle approached him.

"Come on, are you gonna throw it…or are you taking your coffee black these days?" the man taunted.

Rage flowed through Booker's head as the man laughed at his remark. The crowd continued to goad him on. Finally, Booker snapped and raised his hand.

"I got something for you, you son of a bitch!" he shouted, aiming the baseball at the man in the hat.

Before the crowd's eyes, ball 77 went flying out of the winner's hand and struck the barker's face. The man soon boasted a black eye.

"I know who you are- False Shepard!"

Suddenly, two policemen ran forward and grabbed Booker. What happened next seemed to play in slow motion. One cop held Booker still, while the other raised a rotating device on his wrist. Judging from the four hooks on it, it was some sort of grappling gadget. It revved up, and the cop aimed it straight for Booker's face.

Booker dodged the spinning blades and pushed the other cop forward. The hook ground through the guy's face like a hot blade through butter. When the man was dead, Booker moved in and put the device on his wrist. Before the contraption's original owner could draw his gun, Booker struck him down. While the crowd panicked, he fled.


	4. Crime and Punishment

Chapter 4: Crime and Punishment

"For the Pr-"

Booker bashed in the skull of a police officer with the Skyhook on his wrist and took the cop's pistol. He looked it over.

_Mauser repeater. Best thing the Krauts produced since the hamburger steak and the hot dog_. he thought.

Just then, soldiers arrived.

"It's the False Shepherd! Open fire!" the leader shouted.

Booker decided to give Possession a test. He aimed and activated the Vigor, possessing a turret. Suddenly, the turret turned around and began mowing down the soldiers. While they were distracted, Booker ran away.

Some time later, he found himself in an alleyway. He looked at both ends to see if anyone was nearby. Clear. He sighed, and then slumped against a wall. Suddenly, the air grew very hot.

"I'll burn ye!" a voice shouted.

Booker turned around, and right before his eyes was a man encased in flaming armor.

"For the Seed of the Prophet shall sit upon his throne, and rain down fire upon the mountains of-" the man began.

Booker opened fire with his pistol. Almost immediately, his opponent literally launched fire at him. He dodged the incoming flames, taking potshots behind a crate. Finally, the flame attacks stopped. Booker got a running start, revved up the Skyhook, and jammed it into his opponent's chest. Metal armor gave way to cotton and asbestos, which in turn gave way to flesh. Once it was all over, Booker noticed a bottle near the body of his fallen foe. It resembled the bottle that had contained Possession.

"Devil's Kiss." Booker read.

_Well, you only live once._ he thought.

Booker removed the top of the bottle and drank. Almost immediately, he began to regret his decision. Before his eyes, the skin on his fingers began to disintegrate, revealing the bone beneath. Suddenly, the horrifying scene ended. He continued forward, testing the newfound Vigor on the soldiers and cops ahead of him. This worked for a while until he found himself backed into a corner by some soldiers.

_I'm doomed._

Booker raised his hands…and then went flying away toward a giant cargo hook attached to a nearby building. The Skyhook attached to the larger hook.

_Damn thing must be magnetized_. he thought.

Just then, Booker got an idea. He started swinging, and once he was confident that he was swinging fast enough, he detached himself from the cargo hook. The Skyhook then pulled him to the next hook. This process was repeated until he ran out of cargo hooks. The last one just so happened to overlook a balcony. Booker closed his eyes and jumped forward.

Upon landing, he entered the building to which the balcony was attached. After a short walk, he found himself in a large room that looked like a restaurant kitchen. And before his eyes were the two individuals who had sweet-talked him into coming here.

"Mr. DeWitt, you're late." the woman announced.

"Like he always is." her male companion replied.

"Robert, be quiet."

"Rosalind, this was your idea."

"What do you two want?" Booker growled.

The man, who Booker deduced to be Robert, tossed him a bottle of something.

"Drink." Rosalind ordered.

Booker opened the bottle and drank. Suddenly, he doubled over in pain and nausea.

"What is this stuff?" he asked.

"An infusion that creates a intrinsic magnetic field. Should protect you from bullets." Rosalind answered.

"Tastes like wormwood."

"You're lucky."

"How?"

"It didn't kill you." Robert answered.

"Now get moving. Monument Island. Statue. Bring us the girl, wipe away the debt." Rosalind ordered.

"Can it wait until I can feel my legs again?" Booker asked.

"No. Come to think of it, we'll meet you at Monument Island."

And with that, the two walked away.


	5. The Cult of Personality

Chapter 5: The Cult of Personality

Once he had finished being ill, Booker got up and continued onward. After traversing more freight hooks, he found himself on what appeared to be a dock. Suddenly, more soldiers popped up. As bullets ricocheted off the magnetic field, Booker went for the soldier who had a gun that was continuously firing. After shooting the soldier, he took the gun, which was marked as a "Rolston Reciprocating Repeater". He pulled the trigger and held it down. Within seconds, the soldiers were riddled with holes.

_A handheld Maxim gun. Classy_. Booker thought.

Just then, a flying barge with more soldiers moved in. Booker looked up and noticed some sort of rail above him. He made a running jump, and the Skyhook caught the rail. The momentum of his sprint soon propelled him forward across the rail. Retracting his legs, he continued to gain speed until he was moving forward at 60 miles an hour. After a minute of riding on the rail, he noticed a ledge. There was a soldier standing on it. Booker closed his eyes and jumped. The last thing the soldier saw was a man flying toward him like a mad Icarus.

After using the soldier to break his fall, Booker ran into a building and gunned down more soldiers. After a long series of firefights, he reached the top of the building. Suddenly, a bearded man's face appeared on a giant screen.

"_False Shepherd, I know why you are here. You have come to lead the Lamb astray from the Prophet and to use her for your own twisted ends._" the man announced.

"Father Comstock, I presume?" Booker snarked.

"_Don't be insolent with me, DeWitt! Especially not in my city!_" Comstock yelled.

Booker raised his Skyhook and jumped onto another Skyline. After another few minutes of riding, he noticed another barge. He jumped onto it, and then noticed a nearby zeppelin. He jumped onto that, shot up the guards, and then climbed into the control gondola. Once in there, he noticed a woman in white. She was praying.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Booker reassured her.

Just then, another barge rose up in front of the window. On that barge was Comstock.

"The Lord forgives all. But I'm just his prophet…so I don't have to." he boasted.

Booker turned around. The woman finished her prayer and brandished what appeared to be a detonator.

"Don't!" Booker demanded.

Too late. The woman pushed the button and the zeppelin exploded. Booker jumped out of the dirigible and back onto the Skyline. A while later, he ended up at what appeared to be a building shrouded in darkness.


	6. The Birth of a Nation

Chapter 6: The Birth of A Nation

Inside the building, Booker noticed that it was completely dark. Not even a gas lamp to shine a light in the darkness. The odors of decay wafted into his nostrils. Smells of rotting fruit and meat, of souring wine and fermenting juices. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he noticed the source of these smells. Upon the tables were the foods of a banquet- but nobody was there to eat. Out of nowhere, ravens and crows descended upon the tables.

Booker gulped and continued onward. As he progressed throughout the building, he saw men dressed in black robes. Once again, he remembered his bad experiences in dealing with the Klan. After a few minutes, he entered what appeared to be a cathedral. In stained glass was the image of John Wilkes Booth, his heel crushing Lincoln. Suddenly, the robed men turned around.

"Brothers of the Fraternal Order of the Raven, the False Shepherd has infiltrated our halls! We must purge him!" one man yelled.

Booker raised his Triple-R and fired upon the robed men. One by one, they fell. Using Devil's Kiss, he killed more of them. After several uses, he was unable to use his Vigors. Looting the bodies of the dead, Booker found vials of something. He opened one and drank. Salt water poured from the bottle, empowering his Vigors. He continued forward.

Near the exit of the building, Booker saw a Chinaman chained to a table. Somebody let loose a murder of crows, which attacked the man. Booker winced at the grisly scene, and then entered a courtyard. Suddenly, a large man in black robes appeared. Booker noticed that the man carried a coffin upon his back.

Booker opened fire upon the man. Suddenly, his opponent turned into a murder of crows and flew to another part of the courtyard. Booker kept firing with the Triple-R, occasionally using Devil's Kiss to liven things up. Finally, the big guy dropped dead. Near the body was another Vigor bottle.

"Murder of Crows." Booker read.

Booker drank the Vigor. Suddenly, his hand was stripped of its skin. A crow perched upon it. The grisly vision ended shortly afterwards. Just then, more robed men emerged from the doorway. Booker let a murder of crows at them. Once they were dead, he continued onward.


	7. On Scientific Ethics

Chapter 7: On Scientific Ethics

A short time later, Booker entered the statue that he had been told to enter. Once inside, he was awestruck by the scenes before him. Lockers left open with nobody to close them again. He gulped, and then walked into a hallway. On a blackboard, he noticed a graph and drawings of a young girl. Just then, his employers materialized.

"You again!" Booker shouted.

"Not so loud." Rosalind whispered.

"Quick question- what is menarche?" Booker asked, pointing to the board.

"Menarche. The beginning of female fertility. When a woman begins her monthly courses." Robert answered.

"What?"

"You know- that time of the month, on the rag, riding the cotton pony, the curse, the gift, losing to the communists, playing Liverpool at home-" Robert began.

"The beginning of the menstrual periods!" Rosalind interrupted.

"Why didn't you just say so?" Booker asked Robert.

"I did!"

Rosalind raised her palm and brought it to her face at Robert's blunder. Meanwhile, Booker continued to examine the blackboard. Nearby was a sign: "72 HOUR QUARANTINE PAST THIS POINT, BY ORDER OF R. LUETECE."

"Let's go, you two." Booker ordered.

"Fine." Rosalind grumbled.

The three went further into the facility. After disregarding a 96 hour quarantine sign, they arrived in a giant room filled with arcane machinery. Electricity sparked from machine to machine, lighting it up in sporadic flashes. Booker then noticed three tubes. He pressed buttons near them and gazed upon their contents. The first contained a teddy bear. The second contained a picture of a young girl. The third held a piece of cloth with a bloodstain on it.

_The hell?_ Booker thought.

"Enough gawking, DeWitt! You're literally less than 2,000 feet from the girl!" Rosalind ordered.

"Why don't you pull your own weight?" Booker replied.

He was met with silence. Upon turning around, Booker noticed that his employers had vanished into thin air.


	8. The Tower and the Songbird

Chapter 8: The Tower and the Songbird

Booker wandered his way up through the giant statue that housed the girl and the lab built around her. According to his employers (who he had determined to be the mysterious Lutece twins), the girl was in the top of the statue/tower. According to the name on a photo that he had been given, the girl went by Elizabeth.

_What's so special about this girl?_

A fierce gale whipped across Booker's face as he scaled the statue's exterior. The cold stung him into alertness and motivated him to continue moving. He gasped for breath as he approached the top. After an excruciating climb, he found a door on the statue's neck. He opened it and entered the room ahead.

In the distance, an avian colossus soared past the tower, searching for interlopers. As it made a pass of the tower, something caught its attention. The exterior door to the way to the girl's quarters was slightly ajar. Instantly, the amalgamation of machinery and flesh that it had for a brain went to work.

_SCREECH!_

Its green fluorescent eyes turned yellow. Someone had broken in. And the intruder was definitely not one of the kind oddball scientists who occasionally went up to the girl. No, this intruder was likely the False Shepherd! The thing screeched again.

Inside the statue's neck, Booker caught his breath and prepared to ascend the next few flights of stairs. After another long climb, he entered the statue's head, and presumably the girl's quarters. Catching his breath again, he leaned on a counter and accidentally pressed a button. Suddenly, the lights in the corridor where he was went out and a curtain went up.

Before his eyes was Elizabeth, standing right before him. He rapped on the glass. No response.

_Great, one-way glass. Whoever used these corridors could see her, but she couldn't see them._

Booker's mind reeled from the implications. Meanwhile, Elizabeth was twirling around in her white outfit, grinning like a maniac. Just then, the curtain dropped. Booker moved on to the next window down the hall.

At the next window, Booker watched as Elizabeth examined a painting of the Eiffel Tower. He began to drum his fingers near the counter.

_Hurry up!_ he thought.

Just then, something happened. Before his eyes, Elizabeth grabbed onto the air. A shimmering light materialized, with her hands at the edges. She pulled the two apart, and some sort of tear happened. The scene at the other side resembled a moving picture. Booker's jaw dropped at the sight of it. Suddenly, something came hurtling toward the tear. Elizabeth hastily slammed it shut. Once again, the curtain dropped, and Booker continued onward.

A few minutes later, he found a door with no nearby window. He opened the door and was amazed at what he saw. The room was more or less a library. In the background, he could hear water running and a woman's voice singing.

"_Breaking rocks in the hot sun, I fought the law and the law won…_" the voice went.

Seeing as this was going to be awhile, Booker found a chair, grabbed a book, and sat down. He examined the book's cover. It was one of Verne's _Voyages Extraordinaires_, untranslated. Further examination yielded the title: _Robur-le-Conquérant._

_How appropriate for this to be in a flying city_. he thought.

Hours passed. A stack of books built up near Booker's chair. _Gulliver's Travels_, _The Iliad,_ the _Divine Comedy_, and Lutece's _Barriers to Trans-Dimensional Travel_ were all in the stack. Just as he was starting a copy of _From the Earth to the Moon_, Elizabeth walked in.

"Hello?" Booker asked.

Elizabeth screamed, and then began to throw books at him.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"My name is Booker DeWitt, and I'm here to rescue you."

Just then, a nearby statue of Comstock started beeping.

"That can't be good." Booker muttered.

"Hide! He'll see you!"

Just then, a screech rattled the room.

"I'm getting dressed!" Elizabeth shouted, signing _RUN!_ to Booker.

Booker grabbed Elizabeth by the wrist and bolted. Outside, the avian colossus descended upon the tower. The girl could not leave. She WOULD not leave. And the intruder would die.

_SCREECH!_

As Booker and Elizabeth dashed down the tower, the thing tore apart the statue's metal skin.

"What the hell is that thing?" Booker asked.

"Songbird!" Elizabeth answered.

"What?"

"You heard me- Songbird!"

"Why name your giant flying contraption of death 'Songbird'?"

"I didn't name it!"

Meanwhile, Songbird was cutting away at the statue's skin like a can opener. Once it had worked a big enough hole, it stuck its head inside and screeched. And in that moment, Booker got a good look at it. Its steel torso was covered in leather. Its head resembled that of its namesake. The taloned feet were sharp enough to cut through metal. Its leather wings were at least 60 feet wide. All in all, it looked like a mix of machine, songbird, and gargoyle.

"RUN!" Elizabeth shouted.

Booker ran, and Songbird followed. Its talons managed to open a hole large enough for Booker and Elizabeth to jump out of. The two did so, with Booker's Skyhook snagging a rail. Elizabeth climbed onto his back and held on for dear life. Booker reached for the Triple R and began shooting. The bullets had about as much effect on Songbird as they would on a brick wall: none.

"I think you're just making him angrier!" Elizabeth whimpered.

"He's already mad as a hornet!" Booker retorted.

Suddenly, Songbird banked, made a 180 degree turn, and then flew straight for Booker at high speed.

"The Lord is my shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want-" Elizabeth began.

Just then, Songbird rammed Booker and Elizabeth off the rail. As the ground grew closer and closer, Booker closed his eyes, waiting to meet his maker.

SPLASH! Booker hit the water, with Songbird diving in after him. As Elizabeth's guardian raised its talons, Booker waited for the end. Just before Songbird could deliver the coup de grâce, the glass surrounding his eye started cracking. The creature howled in pain before ascending back into the sky.

_Thing can't take water _


	9. Simple Pleasures

Chapter 9: Simple Pleasures

"Out with the bad air- in with the good!" Elizabeth shouted as she repeatedly shoved down on Booker's chest.

Just then, Booker started coughing up water.

"And now- the kiss of life!"

In that moment, Elizabeth put her mouth over Booker's and started breathing. He started moving.

"Good to see that you're still in the land of the living." Elizabeth announced.

"Water- he can't take water. The pressure-" Booker muttered.

Just then, he noticed that there were people staring at him. Beneath him, he felt sand.

"Elizabeth, where the hell are we now?"

"Battleship Bay! The only flying beach in the world!"

_Guess nobody on this beach knows that I'm the "False Shepherd"._ Booker thought.

Just then, his thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of splashing and giddy laughter. He turned around saw Elizabeth playing in the water.

_This is going to be awhile_.

Booker looked around, found a beach chair, and made himself comfortable. Eventually, he fell into asleep.

BOOKER DEWITT'S OFFICE, 1893:

"_Open this door, DeWitt! We had a deal!_"

"_The deal's off!"_

_"Give us the girl!"_

Booker snapped awake. Standing before him was a soaking wet Elizabeth.

"Your turn, Mr. DeWitt!" she exclaimed, taking him by the wrist.

"No! No! N-"

SPLASH! Booker hit the water again. As he attempted to escape, Elizabeth started splashing him.

"You're funny, Mr. DeWitt!"

"Call me Booker!"

After an hour, the two walked onto a boardwalk. Booker looked around, and then Elizabeth slipped off. When he was done looking, he noticed that Elizabeth was gone.

_When I get those two Lutece twins, I'll throttle them. This was a snatch-and-grab job, not a babysitting one!_

Just then, Booker noticed that someone was playing music. He turned around and saw that Elizabeth was prancing around near some musicians.

"Elizabeth!"

"Mr. DeWitt, join in!"

"I've got something better than this!"

"What?"

Booker pointed to an airship flying by.

"How about Paris?"

Elizabeth squealed in joy.

"We've got an airship to catch."

Elizabeth grabbed Booker's wrist and dragged him off.


	10. The Anarchist's Cookbook

Chapter 10: The Anarchist's Cookbook

Elsewhere in Columbia, other things were happening. In the manufacturing district of Finkton, Daisy Fitzroy was planning her next move. Near her were several teletype machines, reporting on the numerous operations of the Vox Populi. Just then, the phone rang.

"This is Fitzroy. What do you want?"

"_Daisy, we need to move now. Comstock's got his knickers in a twist about the False Shepherd-_"

"Isaac, how many times do I have to tell you that we make no moves until after we get control of the Songbird?"

"_That's the beauty of it. The False Shepherd? He's got Comstock's daughter. She's also Songbird's ward._"

Fitzroy's eyebrows went up.

"And your plan is?"

"_We get our hands on the girl, lure in Songbird, and then we can control it!_"

"Get all our spies looking for them. Now."

Daisy slammed down the receiver.

"False Shepherd, I'm going to have a proposition for you when we meet…"


	11. On the Boardwalk

Chapter 11: On the Boardwalk

The sounds of calliope music echoed across the boardwalk as Booker and Elizabeth wandered it. In the latter's hand was some cotton candy, which she was fiercely guarding from some marauding children.

"Mr. DeWitt, help me!"

Booker glared at the kids, causing them to scatter. Just then, two very familiar faces appeared.

"Oh Christ, not you two again!" he cried

"Mr. DeWitt, who are these people?"

If looks could kill, then Booker's glare would have caused the Lutece twins to double over and die of cardiac arrest.

"Free cameo." Rosalind muttered.

The two extended pillows with necklaces on them.

"The bird or the cage?" Robert asked.

"Bird." Booker answered.

"Take it."

And with that, the two disappeared.

"For me?" Elizabeth asked upon seeing the necklace.

Before Booker could say anything, Elizabeth snatched the necklace out of his hands and ran away.

"Get back here!"

"Have to catch me first, Mr. DeWitt!"

"For the umpteenth time, call me Booker!"

Unbeknownst to the two, they were being watched from a nearby trashcan that housed one of Daisy Fitzroy's spies.

"Hawke to Fitzroy. Come in Fitzroy." the spy muttered into his portable radio.

"_Fitzroy here. What is it?_"

Hawke squinted as he observed Booker's hand. With his free hand, he raised a propaganda picture for comparison.

"Found the False Shepherd, who is formally known as Booker DeWitt_._"

"_Thank you, Hawke._"

Some time later, an exasperated Booker caught up with Elizabeth in a penny arcade. Currently, she was transfixed by a baseball machine.

"Mr. DeWitt!"

"Call. Me. Booker." he muttered through clenched teeth.

Elizabeth darted from attraction to attraction- photo booths, puppet shows, and even an unusual contraption that was similar to the baseball machine, except the ball was silver and two flapping things were used to knock the ball up the table in hopes of striking protruding knobs for points. It also made a series of odd noises, much to Elizabeth's delight and Booker's annoyance. After a few hours, the two left the arcade, with Elizabeth holding more cotton candy and Booker holding a giant plush Songbird that Elizabeth had won at a "Towers of Hanoi" machine.

_Of all the times to need those two_. Booker thought.

Just then, the Lutece twins appeared.

"Take this to the nearest airship." Booker demanded, throwing the giant plush Songbird into Rosalind's hands.

Rosalind nodded and the twins vanished. Around the corner, Booker saw some familiar faces. The white man and the black woman from the raffle were standing near a crate.

"What happened after I left?" Booker asked.

"Fink got pounded, that's what happened. The only part of him not stained with blood was his hat." the woman answered.

The man threw a bottle at Booker.

"Take this, sir. Even if you're the False Shepherd, we owe you our lives."

Booker examined the bottle. The label read "Frostbite".

"Go on. Open it."

Booker opened the bottle and drank. Before his eyes, his Vigor hand began to exhibit signs of frostbite. Like Murder of Crows and Devil's Kiss, the scene ended shortly thereafter.

"Thanks."

And with that, Booker and Elizabeth continued onward. After some more walking, they neared a ticket counter. Nearby was a hot dog cart.

"Excuse me, but can I have some…sauerkraut?" a man asked the vendor.

_Sauerkraut? Here? Bull._

"That'll be…one dollar." the vendor answered.

_Something's rotten in the proverbial state of Denmark. I haven't seen a dollar since I got here_,_ so why would anyone charge a dollar?_

Booker turned to Elizabeth and signed "Beware". Elizabeth nodded, and the two made their way to to the ticket counter. When they got there, the clerk was on the phone.

"Two tickets for Paris." Booker demanded.

"What?" the clerk asked.

Just then, some light reflected off an object in the clerk's hand.

_He's got something. Probably a knife_.

Booker readied his Mauser.

"Two tickets, buddy!"

"Sure- False Shepherd!"

The clerk lunged at Booker with a letter opener. Booker drew his gun and fired.

"Elizabeth, run!"

Elizabeth bolted as soldiers descended upon Booker.

"Stand d-"

Booker fired off a staccato burst from the Triple-R, killing three of the soldiers. One who got within spitting distance met his end via Skyhook. Just then, Elizabeth bolted back in with a squad of soldiers chasing her.

"Alright, little lady. Put your hands behind your head and-"

The soldier's demand was cut short by a cry of pain as Elizabeth's foot slammed into his crotch. In his agony, he dropped his shotgun. Booker sprinted toward her.

"Catch!" he ordered.

Elizabeth reached out and caught the Triple R, leaving Booker free to pick up the shotgun. Before firing it, he read the label on it.

_China Broom? Who came up with that name?_

Booker turned around and used his new shotgun on a nearby soldier.

_It's got plenty of stopping power, I'll give it that._

Just then, he readied his Vigors and fired them all off in rapid succession. When it all ended, Booker was surrounded by the bodies of the dead. Staring at him was Elizabeth.

"You…killed…them…" she stammered.

"Elizabeth, I had no choice."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It was do or die! Kill or be killed! If I hadn't killed them, then I'd be dead and you'd be in your tower to stay!" Booker yelled.

Elizabeth's eyes were welling up in tears at the end of Booker's barrage.

_Damn you, Booker DeWitt. You just made an innocent girl cry._

"Elizabeth, those people thought you were an investment. And just an investment."

"And what about you?"

_Best to tell her the truth_.

"Elizabeth, those two odd people? They made me an offer. Bring us the girl, wipe away the debt."

"What debt?"

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"So you're not taking me to Paris?"

"I swear to my soul that you'll get to see Paris."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

And with that, the two continued onward. After a bit of walking. they noticed a gondola with a sign reading "SOLDIER FIELD/AERODROME."

"To Paris!" Elizabeth shouted.

Booker prepared to pull the lever. Just then, something tripped inside his head.

"Elizabeth?"

"Yes, Mr. DeWitt?"

"You're the best damn wingman to ever don a dress."

Despite neither of them knowing what the term meant, both had a reckoning of what had just been said.


	12. Soldier's Field

Chapter 12: Soldier's Field

"For the love of God, stop singing!" Booker shouted as the gondola pulled closer to the platform.

"Mr. DeWitt, you really are a killjoy."

"You can sing all you want when we get on that airship! I'll throw in all of Europe if you just stop now!"

Elizabeth stopped singing, the gondola stopped, and the two stepped off and entered a museum adorned with Comstock memorabilia.

"What is this place? Comstock's personal collection?"

"No. It's Soldier's Field."

Booker was even more confused.

"It's an amusement park." Elizabeth explained

"Why would a prophet have interest in carnivals?"

"Teach a child the right ways, and he will adhere to them, even when he is old."

After opening a colossal steel door, Booker and Elizabeth stepped out onto another boardwalk. Again, the sounds of a calliope echoed across it. Children ran around with various playthings, while the nearest adults were discussing the appearance of the False Shepherd. Just as he was contemplating jumping off and hoping that the magnetic field broke falls as well as it stopped bullets, he felt a tug on his arm.

"What is it now?"

"Mr. DeWitt, there's the airship!"

Booker turned around and noticed the airship that he had pointed out back at Battleship Bay. This time, he got a good look at it. On the side was a woman's portrait, and beneath the portrait was its name: _The First Lady_.

"Let's go!"

From a nearby rooftop, the Lutece twins were watching.

"Rosalind, he's about to bypass one of the constants-"

Rosalind opened a tear and produced a crowbar.

"He'll meet Slate like he always does."

And with that, Rosalind vanished into thin air, materialized at the gate to _The First Lady_'s gantry, and then smashed one of the Leyden jars keeping it open. Once she was certain that the electrically conductive crystal that was once kept inside was gone, she replaced the broken one with an empty receptacle. And with that, she faded back to the rooftop.

Meanwhile, Booker and Elizabeth were making their way to the gantry. It was only when they had gotten there that they noticed Rosalind's sabotage.

"Where's a generator?"

"There isn't one. Gate runs on Shock Jockey."

"Where do we find it?"

"Hall of Heroes- but it's closed."

Just then, an announcement warning of the False Shepherd rang through Soldier's Field. And right after that, soldiers ran in.

"Get 'em, boys!" a soldier yelled.

Booker threw his shotgun to Elizabeth, who gave him the Triple R in return. Firing off bursts of gunfire, he mowed down the incoming troops with ease. Just then, he ran out of ammo. In response, he drew his Mauser and continued firing. When he ran out of bullets for that, he switched over to his Skyhook and Vigors.

"Catch!" Elizabeth yelled, throwing a gun at Booker.

Booker grabbed the gun.

_A carbine rifle. Just what the doctor ordered._

Just then, more soldiers showed up.

"To the Hall of Heroes!"

Booker and Elizabeth ran for it.


	13. Vigors, Lies, and Cornelius Slate

Chapter 13: Vigors, Lies, and Cornelius Slate

Some time later, an exhausted Booker and an equally exhausted Elizabeth came to a stop in what appeared to be a souvenir shop near the Hall of Heroes.

"I think we can sit down and take stock now, Mr. DeWitt."

"No. We've got to keep moving before those soldiers find us."

Up ahead, the two ran into a colossal steel door. Booker lifted it up, allowing Elizabeth to slide underneath it.

"Now what about me?" Booker asked.

Elizabeth opened a tear and produced a jack.

"Clever girl."

Elizabeth blushed. A few minutes later, Booker was on the other side of the door. Before his eyes was a crate with more Vigor bottles. The stoppers were shaped like horses' heads. He reached for a bottle and read the label.

"Bucking Bronco."

He removed the stopper and drank. Another nightmarish scene ensued as Booker heard the neighing of a horse and watched as his skin cracked. Like the other Vigors, the scene soon ended.

"Let's get that Shock Jockey, Mr. DeWitt!"

The two stepped out into a plaza. Just then, soldiers descended upon them.

"Mr. DeWitt, I think Comstock's forces-"

"These aren't Comstock's soldiers! They've got different uniforms!"

"Come on, you apes! Do you want to live forever, or do you want to die at the hands of the tin men?" a soldier yelled.

_Tin men? That's what Slate called- wait a minute. Slate's here?_

Booker brandished his carbine and fired. One by one, the soldiers fell as bullets pierced their hearts. To liven things up, Booker opted to use Bucking Bronco. He fired off the Vigor and was thunderstruck when it launched six soldiers skyward, making them easy pickings for the carbine.

"This doesn't get us any closer to the Shock Jockey, Mr. DeWitt!"

"Well, how the hell do we get to the Hall of Heroes?"

Elizabeth turned around and noticed something.

"Ten Silver Eagles says we can ride that Skyline up!"

Booker looked out of the corner of his eye. Elizabeth was right. Unfortunately, some large freight was blocking the line.

"Elizabeth! Get that cargo off the rail!"

Elizabeth began running toward the Skyline, dodging carbine and machine gun fire the whole way. Finally, she reached the control panel for that particular Skyline. A quick look at the panel yielded little except for a "move cargo" lever. She took a deep breath and pulled it. Suddenly, the cargo moved up the rail and out of the way.

"Clear!"

"Good! Let's get the hell out of here!"

Booker readied his Skyhook, while Elizabeth opened a tear and got one of her own. The two leaped onto the rail, started up their hooks, and began racing up to the Hall of Heroes. A few minutes later, they arrived. Booker hit the ground first, readying his carbine. Sure enough, Slate's men came running. As bullets flew and soldiers fell, Booker and Elizabeth slowly advanced toward the Hall. Out of the corner of her eye, Elizabeth noticed the outline of a very long gun on a nearby rooftop. A similar gun was on the ground nearby.

"Catch!"

Booker caught the incoming gun and examined it.

_A sniper's rifle? What would I need-_

From said rooftop, a sniper fired off a shot and missed.

_Jesus H. Christ!_

Booker put the scope to his eye and fired. Apparently, luck was a lady that night because Booker's shot pierced the enemy sniper's head right between the eyes. Suddenly, a voice came roaring out of the loudspeakers.

"_DeWitt! Get your dopy ass in here and give my men a soldier's death!_"

Booker and Elizabeth ran into the Hall of Heroes, or as Elizabeth noticed from a vandalized sign, the "Hall of Whores".


	14. The Hall of Heroes

Chapter 14: The Hall of Heroes

Inside the Hall of Heroes, Booker and Elizabeth were greeted by a vast overwhelming darkness.

"Guess someone forgot to pay the electric bill." Booker wisecracked.

Elizabeth went forward and grabbed an electric lantern.

_At least we can see where we're going._

Just then, Booker felt a gentle tug on his hand.

"Mr. DeWitt, I need to use the necessary-"

"Alright. I'll help you find the water closet."

A few minutes later, Elizabeth had barred herself in the ladies' room while Booker amused himself by flinging cards into an empty spittoon. Periodically, Slate would come on the loudspeakers and yell things like "_At the rate you're going, DeWitt, my men'll be dead of old age!_". After what seemed like an eternity, Elizabeth finally emerged into the entrance hall and noticed a sleeping Booker.

"Mr. DeWitt?"

No response.

"Mr. DeWitt?"

Silence.

"Mr. DeWitt!"

Not a peep. Elizabeth decided to take matters into her own hands by opening up a tear. Unfortunately, she opened the wrong one.

"_L-l-look at you h-h-hacker-_" the being at the other end of the tear began.

Elizabeth slammed it shut and opened another wrong one.

"_I am Andrew Ryan_-"

Another tear closed.

"_I never asked for-_"

Elizabeth slammed it shut and kicked Booker in the ribs.

"Jesus H. Christ! I'm up!" Booker shouted, looking his attacker over.

Elizabeth gave an angry glance at Booker.

"What was that for?" Booker asked.

"How else was I supposed to wake you up?"

"Fine. Now let's get that Shock Jockey-"

Just then, the doors opened, and Slate's men poured in. Booker raised his gun and fired, watching as the men dropped dead. Fire, ice, and crows resounded throughout the room as Booker fired off his Vigors one by one. When the dust cleared, Booker and Elizabeth were the only ones standing.

"Slate, where are you?"

"_Comstock exhibit. But you're not getting in until you clean out the Boxer Rebellion and Wounded Knee_."

Elizabeth and Booker continued onward. Their first stop: Wounded Knee.


	15. Sins of the Past

Chapter 15: Sins of the Past

"Mr. DeWitt?"

"What is it, Elizabeth?"

"Is there something wrong?"

"No." he lied.

The two entered the Wounded Knee exhibit and were greeted by a giant clockwork George Washington holding a handheld Gatling gun and making a rhyme about "savage Indians." Once inside the exhibit, Booker was horrified at what he saw. Cheap cardboard cutouts of Indians wielding bows and arrows popped out, frightening Elizabeth.

"_December 20, 1890. The day that Booker DeWitt became a hero_." Slate announced over the intercom.

"I thought Comstock-"

"COMSTOCK! WASN'T! THERE!"

Just then, Slate's soldiers descended upon Booker and Elizabeth. Booker readied his shotgun and fired away with Vigors and bullets. Elizabeth dashed off to hide behind a cardboard cutout. One soldier who got too close was killed by Skyhook. When it was all over, Elizabeth approached her protector.

"Your face- you were there at Wounded Knee."

"Yeah, I was. 150 dead, all thanks to a deaf man's gun. It wasn't a battle, Elizabeth. It was a slaughter. I saw good Christian men turn to the desires we all hide away."

Elizabeth's eyes were as wide as saucers.

"How did you live with it?"

"Drowned my sorrows at the bottom of a bottle. When I ran out of money for drink, I turned to gambling."

"And then what, Mr. DeWitt?"

Booker held back tears.

"Let's go to the Boxer Rebellion exhibit."


	16. The Boxer Rebellion

Chapter 16: The Boxer Rebellion

Booker and Elizabeth passed by another mechanical George Washington, this one ranting about "yellow skin and slanted eyes". The doors opened, and the two entered the Boxer Rebellion exhibit. Paper lanterns littered the floor.

"The Boxer Rebellion. Comstock led-" Elizabeth began.

"COMSTOCK! WASN'T! THERE!" Slate shouted.

"But you were." Elizabeth replied.

"_I was. Lost an eye and several friends to the rebellious Chinamen. Of course, there was an Eight-Nation Alliance there too. I saw my men sink lower than snakes there- slaughtering anyone with the hint of a foreign accent, raping the Chinese women, shooting children for sport! And what did those sons of bitches get? Medals from Comstock himself!_" Slate announced.

Suddenly, Slate's men poured in. Booker raised his carbine and shot them one by one, occasionally using his Vigors. In the meantime, Elizabeth opened a tear and produced a zoetrope. As Booker fought the soldiers, Elizabeth watched in awe as the images moved before her eyes. About 10 minutes later, the shooting stopped. Booker's footsteps resounded throughout the hall. Elizabeth looked up and saw her protector looming over her.

"Yes, Mr. DeWitt?"

Booker grabbed Elizabeth by the arm and dragged her away.

"My zoetrope!"

"Elizabeth, when we get out of here, I'll buy you more zoetropes than you'll know what to do with!"


	17. The Awful Truth

Chapter 17: The Awful Truth

After some time, Booker and Elizabeth entered the Lady Comstock exhibit. Surprisingly, there was no clockwork George Washington to greet them this time. However, the door was locked.

"Now how do we get i-"

CLUNK. The lock fell to Elizabeth's feet.

"Clever girl."

The two entered the exhibit hall. The soft lights gave it a storybook feel which greatly bothered Booker. Signs throughout the exhibit told the tale of Lady Comstock.

"The seed of the Prophet lay within her womb for but seven days." Elizabeth read.

"Bull." Booker replied.

They continued onward, passing by tableaus of Lady Comstock's death and the taking of the Lamb. The last of these got Elizabeth's attention.

"That's my tower!" she exclaimed, pointing at the picture on the wall.

Booker was transfixed by something else.

"Mr. DeWitt?"

Elizabeth ran up and saw Booker's lips quivering.

"For the Seed of the Prophet shall sit upon his throne, and rain down fire upon the mountains of men." he read.

Elizabeth looked up at the accompanying image. Upon a throne sat a woman with raven hair and piercing blue eyes. Beneath her were scenes of destruction and damnation, of men and women fleeing in vain as lightning and flame destroyed city and farm alike.

"Son of a bitch." Booker muttered.

Elizabeth turned around.

"Elizabeth- I think you're Comstock's daughter." Booker mumbled.

"You mean-"

"Yes. He wants you to bring the Day of Reckoning early."

"Well, I want a puppy, but that doesn't mean I'm going to get what I want!" Elizabeth retorted.

Suddenly, swaths of men descended upon the duo.

"Mr. DeWitt! OPEN FIRE!"

Booker readied his shotgun, killing the soldiers _en masse_. But it wasn't fast enough.

"Elizabeth, do something!"

Elizabeth reached out, hoping to open a tear that would lead to anywhere else. Just then, a carelessly placed mannequin went soaring through the air with no apparent cause. Elizabeth ducked, and the mannequin proceeded to hit one of the men in the stomach.

"What just happened?"

"I don't know, Mr. DeWitt. I-"

"Do it again! Bring down something really heavy right on top of them!"

Elizabeth reached out again, this time snagging an empty planter. Aiming it at the assembled soldiers, she let the object fly. Two more fell.

"Again!"

Glass bottles went soaring through the air on Elizabeth's cue, breaking as they hit the soldiers.

"Mind over matter, Elizabeth!" Booker shouted.

Elizabeth reached out, ripped a gun out of a soldier's hands, and then flung it across the room. Booker then finished off the men with his Vigors, and the two proceeded onward. The next room was a very large courtyard blocked by an iron gate. Elizabeth slipped through it.

"Hey!" Booker shouted.

Elizabeth opened a tear, grabbed a hacksaw from said tear, and began sawing away at the bars. After what seemed like an eternity, she had finally created a space large enough for Booker to crouch through.

"Good! You're finally here, DeWitt!" Slate announced over the intercom.

"Slate, give us the Shock Jockey!"

Just then, what seemed like a whole battalion of Slate's men swarmed into the courtyard.

"Do something!" Booker shouted.

Elizabeth opened a tear and caused an RPG launcher to materialize.

"Use this, Mr. DeWitt!"

Booker grabbed the launcher, aimed, and fired. The back blast sent him back a good ten feet, while the explosion decimated the soldiers.

_Not using that again_.

He readied the good old Triple R and fired, killing the soldiers with ease. Any stragglers were picked off with Devil's Kiss. Once all the men where dead, Booker and Elizabeth ran up some stairs and were greeted by a slumped-over Slate.

"Finish what's on your plate, soldier!" he shouted, handing Booker a Mauser.

Booker looked over at Elizabeth.

"Do it, Mr. DeWitt."

Booker ordered her to cover her eyes and then put the barrel of the gun to Slate's temple.

"Do it, Booker! Are you a real soldier, or are you one of Comstock's tin ones?" Slate barked.

Booker wrapped his finger around the trigger. Closing his own eyes, he pulled the trigger and fired a bullet directly into Slate's head.

"Is it over?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yeah." Booker answered.

Elizabeth grabbed the bottle of Shock Jockey near Slate's corpse. Booker opened it and drank. Before his eyes, electrified metallic crystals grew from the palm of his hand. Suddenly, the vision stopped.

"Let's go." he mouthed.

The two left the Lady Comstock exhibit and entered the lobby, where something caught Elizabeth's eye: the automaton George Washington wasn't on its pedestal.

"Mr. DeWitt?"

Just then, Booker ran into something.

"Elizabeth, can you give me some light?"

Elizabeth obliged, and Booker got a good look at what he had run into. Standing right in front of him was the automaton George Washington, holding a Gatling gun in its hands.

"Son of a-" Booker began.

"RED IS THE PRICE OF LIBERTY!" the automaton announced.

Booker barely had any time to get out of the way before the machine began firing.

"Elizabeth! Take cover!"

Elizabeth ran behind a bench, which was promptly shredded by the Gatling gun.

"What the hell is this thing?" Booker asked.

"Motorized Patriot! Aim for the gears on its back!" Elizabeth answered.

Booker fired off his Shock Jockey, which froze up the machine long enough for him to roll right between its legs and ready his shotgun. Two blasts later, it fell. Booker grabbed the Gatling gun, and the two left the Hall of Heroes.


	18. The First Lady

Chapter 18: The First Lady

Outside the Hall of Heroes, Booker and Elizabeth were greeted by what seemed to be a regiment of soldiers. Flying contraptions soared through the air.

"There's the False Shepherd!" one of the soldiers yelled.

Booker raised his Gatling gun and began to crank it. The soldiers began to swarm him. Suddenly, Booker opened fire, mowing down his foes by the tens. Eventually, the thing ran dry. Booker switched over to his Vigors, killing even more soldiers. Within minutes, the battlefield was littered with burnt, shot, frozen, stripped, crushed, and shocked corpses. Once Booker and Elizabeth were sure that all their opponents were dead, they raced down the skylines toward the aerodrome.

Near the shops of outer Soldier Field, further resistance was gathered. Right near the bottom the skyline stood the first fire team. Suddenly, Booker leapt right off the skyline and embedded his Skyhook in one man's face. His companions were finished off with Devil's Kiss, while the Triple R and Bucking Bronco did in most of the rest. With the path cleared, Booker and Elizabeth returned to Soldier Field proper.

"Let's just hope-" Booker began once there.

He looked around and saw a veritable army.

"Son of a-"

Elizabeth opened several tears. Within minutes, Motorized Patriots materialized. Booker looked at them and noticed that they bore not the image of George Washington, but of William Taft.

_Best make hay while the sun shines_.

Booker jumped up and snagged a skyline. As he made a series of runs, he took out numerous snipers on the rooftops, all the while watching as the Motorized Patriots finished off the men on the ground. When the shooting stopped, Booker jumped off the skyline, landed feet first, and did an amusing bow before Elizabeth, who gave an impromptu applause. A few minutes later, Booker opened the aerodrome gate, boarded the gondola with Elizabeth, and began his trip to the airship. Upon entering the aerodrome proper, he was surprised to encounter no resistance.

_Thank God nobody's shooting at us_.

Within an hour, the two were boarding _The First Lady_. Once onboard, they were greeted by the Lutece twins.

"What are you two doing here?" Booker asked.

"Getting out of this godforsaken place, same as you." Robert answered.

"Get to your cabins." Rosalind ordered.

"Where are they?" Booker asked.

"Mr. DeWitt, your cabin is on the right. Elizabeth, yours is on the left." Rosalind explained.

Booker and Elizabeth walked to their quarters.

"Paris, Mr. DeWitt! Think about it!" Elizabeth exclaimed in jubilation as they walked to their respective cabins.

Booker was silent. He found his cabin and opened the door. Before his eyes was a suite worthy of a fine European hotel. On the nightstand lay several issues of _National Geographic_. The bed was adorned with the finest cottons and linens, while an electric chandelier hung overhead. The room itself was paneled in fine mahogany, and a phonograph in the background played recordings of Mozart.

In her cabin, Elizabeth squealed in joy. Like Booker's cabin, hers was paneled in fine mahogany. On her nightstand lay the giant plush Songbird she had won at Battleship Bay. Her bed was identical to Booker's, while the chandelier was also electric.

In the gondola, Robert and Rosalind finished setting the course for Paris. After much adjusting, the coordinates were set. Robert started the engines, and Rosalind sat down. _The First Lady_ rose from her gantry and began her voyage to Paris.


	19. Weird Science

Chapter 19: Weird Science

The smell of freshly baked bread wafted into Booker's cabin, arousing him from his slumber. He groaned as he rose from the bed, wondering what was going on. After getting out of bed, he proceeded to follow his nose to what turned out to be the main dining room. When he got there, he was greeted by Elizabeth and his two benefactors. The former was wearing a silken nightgown.

"Mr. DeWitt, you're finally up!" Elizabeth shouted.

Booker took a seat, observing the fine mahogany panelling of the room.

"What's to eat?" he asked.

Robert left the room for the galley, leaving Rosalind alone with Booker and Elizabeth.

"Ma'am, why are your clothes twenty years out of date?" Elizabeth asked.

Booker took a long look at Rosalind and realized that Elizabeth was right.

"What are you- an old spinster or something?" he asked.

Rosalind handed Booker a knife.

"Stab me, Mr. DeWitt." she ordered.

"Why?"

"Do it."

Booker ran up and sunk the knife into Rosalind's stomach…only for the blade to go through her with nary a scratch.

"What the hell are you? A ghost?" Booker asked.

"You could say that, because I've been dead for twenty years." Rosalind answered.

Booker dropped the knife.

"Then why are you-"

"I exist in many worlds. As a result, I am effectively immortal and mostly incorporeal." Rosalind explained.

Booker was not paying the slightest bit of attention, because Robert had just returned with breakfast. Elizabeth looked at hers greedily.

"Elizabeth, I don't think we're going to run out of food any time soon." Booker whispered upon noticing Elizabeth's behavior.

"Opening tears makes me hungry, Mr. DeWitt!"

_How long until we get to Paris_? Booker signed.

_Two more days_. Robert signed back.


	20. Defiance

Chapter 20: _Defiance_

Back at the Vox HQ in Finkton, Fitzroy and her top lieutenants were preparing their own airship, the _Defiance_. Word had gotten out that the False Shepherd aka Booker DeWitt had escaped Columbia on Comstock's private airship, and Fitzroy wasn't going to let him slip through the Vox's collective fingers.

On her gantry, the _Defiance_ sat still as her crew ran the pre-flight checks. Engines, weapons, and other essential systems all checked as positive. From a nearby gangplank, Fitzroy watched as the maintenance crew repainted the Jolly Roger on the tail fins. From the control gondola, the crew started the flight protocols. Ballast was discharged, while hydrogen gas flooded each gas cell. On the lower decks, the lower-ranking men readied the guns. Rockets, cannonballs, and shells were loaded one by one. But the _Defiance_ would not be pursuing Booker. Fitzroy would need it for another purpose.


	21. Paris

Chapter 21: Paris

Three days had passed since the _First Lady_ had left Columbia, and Booker was bored to tears. Between the Luteces and Elizabeth, it had seemed like an eternity. He had not touched the liquor on the ship solely through sheer force of will. Just then, the telephone in his cabin rang.

"Hello?"

"_Mr. DeWitt, listen up. We've checked our charts_-" Robert began.

"-_and we're now passing along the northwest coast of France_." Rosalind finished.

"What? Do you want me to tell Elizabeth?"

"_That's-_" Rosalind began.

"-_why we called._" Robert finished.

"On my way." Booker announced.

With that, Booker left to fetch Elizabeth from her cabin. As he approached the cabin, he played out the conversation in his head. He opened the door and got Elizabeth's attention.

"Elizabeth?"

She turned around.

"Yes, Mr. DeWitt?"

"We're approaching Paris. We should be there by tonight."

Elizabeth jumped to her feet and grabbed Booker in an embrace not unlike that of a boa constrictor.

"Can't…breathe…"

By mid-morning, the airship was flying over the Parisian suburbs. Elizabeth watched with glee from the observation deck as the _First Lady_ made a pass over the suburbs on its way to a nearby airfield on the outskirts of Paris. Around 10:30, Robert and Rosalind guided the airship onto the ground. The gangplank opened, and Elizabeth dashed out. Booker was in close pursuit.

Some time later, Booker and company were in the city proper. Elizabeth was at the Eiffel Tower, Rosalind was at the Louvre, while Booker and Robert were watching Mata Hari perform.

"I can assure you, Mr. DeWitt, that my interest in Madam Hari is purely academic-"

"If that's the case, then call me Theodore Roosevelt."

Unfortunately, not all was well. Fitzroy's spies had tracked down the _First Lady_, and were now making moves to ensure that the Vox got DeWitt, Elizabeth, and anyone else involved with them. First target: Elizabeth.

Elizabeth grinned as she aimed her Eastman Kodak at the Eiffel Tower. After all this effort, she was finally in the city of her dreams. Twirling around, she very nearly tripped over a cobblestone. Just then, her stomach growled. She checked her watch. 12:30. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a corner bakery.

Inside the bakery, Fitzroy's spy watched as Elizabeth entered.

"_Excusez-moi, mais je peux avoir quelque chose à manger?_" Elizabeth asked.

"_Oui_." the spy answered.

Elizabeth pointed to an apple tart nearby.

"_Celui-là._" she said.

The spy grabbed the pastry and covertly slipped in some powdered sleeping pills while Elizabeth wasn't looking. He then turned back around and sold the adulterated confection to Elizabeth, who promptly ate it. Almost immediately, a wave of drowsiness overcame her. She staggered out of the bakery and collapsed upon the street. The spy grinned. One down, three to go.

At the Louvre, Rosalind was so entranced by the artwork that she failed to notice the heavy footsteps approaching from behind her. A brief prick of a needle was all she felt before she too fell into unconsciousness…

After the Mata Hari show, Booker and Robert went to get some coffee at a sidewalk café. After making their orders, they took their seats.

"Bit of an aftertaste, Mr. Lutece." Booker commented afterward.

No answer.

"Mr. Lutece?"

Still no answer.

"Robert?"

Just then, Booker saw Robert slumped forward.

"Son of a bitch! This stuff's been drugged!"

At that very moment, Booker slumped forward and joined Robert in a drug-induced coma.


	22. Meet Daisy Fitzroy

Chapter 22: Meet Daisy Fitzroy

"Fitzroy, I think he's coming 'round." a man muttered.

"I need DeWitt awake now." Fitzroy ordered.

"Ma'am-"

Fitzroy walked over to Booker and slapped him across the face, promptly awakening him.

"Where am I?" Booker mumbled.

As he regained his senses, he noticed that he was back on board the _First Lady_. He tried to move his arms, only to find that they were bound. An attempt to move his legs had the same result.

"What's going on?" he asked.

It was then that he noticed a black woman wearing an outfit incredibly similar to Elizabeth's.

"So this is the infamous Booker DeWitt, alias the False Shepherd." the woman said, her refined speech taking Booker by surprise.

"Who the hell are you?" Booker demanded.

"My name is Daisy Fitzroy, Columbia public enemy number one and leader of the Vox Populi."

"What the hell do you want?"

Fitzroy gestured, and the lights came on. Before Booker's eyes were the Lutece twins and Elizabeth, all bound to chairs. Elizabeth was clad in nothing more than her underclothes and gagged to boot.

"If you want to see your friends alive, you're going to join the Vox." Fitzroy ordered.

Elizabeth shrieked something in protest.

"Tick tock, tick tock. The clock's running out on your friends, DeWitt."

"I'm in, Fitzroy. Now let them-"

"We need you to do us a favor first, DeWitt. Down in Finkton there's a gunsmith by the name of Chen Lin. Get him on our side and you can have your friends back."

"And if I say no?"

Fitzroy produced a revolver and put it to Elizabeth's temple.

"If you want see the girl alive again, you'll get us Chen Lin and his guns." Fitzroy answered.

"One condition. Let the old spinster go with me." Booker demanded.

Fitzroy approached Rosalind and cut her ropes.

"Guns. Chen Lin. Now." Fitzroy ordered.

Booker and Rosalind were taken to the airship's door and promptly shoved out. Once she was certain that they were gone, Fitzroy closed the door and walked over to Elizabeth.

"Let's have some fun, kid." she gloated.

Elizabeth watched in horror as Fitzroy produced a set of brass knuckles and raised her fists…

Below, Booker and Rosalind had just landed into Finkton.

"I don't think Fitzroy's charming personality explains how she got the Vox together." Booker snarked.

Just then, shots broke out.

"Do something, Rosalind!" Booker ordered.

"I'm a physicist, not a soldier!" Rosalind retorted.

Booker slid into cover and opened fire with his carbine. One by one, the soldiers fell. Suddenly, a loud thud was heard.

"What the hell was that?" Rosalind asked.

Booker raised his head out of cover and saw the source of the noise. Standing right in front of him was an automaton body with a man's head. In the center of its chest was its beating heart, covered only by a glass porthole.

"False Shepherd!" moaned the colossus.

Booker raised his carbine and fired. His bullets ricocheted off the thing's metal body with no effect.

"What is that thing?" Booker asked.

"I believe it's a Handyman!" Rosalind answered.

"A what?"

"A Handyman!"

The Handyman lumbered forward like an ape, moaning as if in intense agony. Booker raised his carbine, aimed it at the Handyman's beating heart, and unloaded a clip. It dropped dead.

"Success!" Rosalind shouted.

"Get a move on!" Booker ordered.

The two bolted from the docks, caught a Skyline, and made tracks for Finkton proper.


	23. Hired

Chapter 23: Hired

"Mr. DeWitt, I presume?" a man asked.

"Yeah, that's me." Booker answered.

The man handed Booker a revolver and a radio.

"Mister Fink will be receiving you and your companion shortly." the man said.

_Fink. That name sounds familiar…wait a minute. Didn't I beat him up at the raffle?_

Rosalind tapped Booker's shoulder.

"Keep moving." she whispered.

The two proceeded onward into Fink Manufacturing's main office. Once inside, the radio buzzed.

"Hello?" Booker asked.

"_Tick tock tick tock, DeWitt. You're running out of time_."

"I'm in the process of getting the guns, Fitzroy." Booker quietly growled.

"_Here's something to encourage you, white bread._"

The sounds of screaming, slapping, and kicking echoed through Booker's ears as Fitzroy brought someone to the radio.

"_What's your name, kid?_"

"_E-E-Elizabeth._"

"_Now then, if you don't want anything really bad to happen to Elizabeth, you'll get me those guns by sundown_."

The radio cut off.

"Son of a-" Booker began.

"Watch your language around the womenfolk." Rosalind interrupted.

The two walked up to a receptionist's desk.

"Can I help you?" a receptionist asked.

"Yes. I'm Mister DeWitt, and I have an appointment with Mister Fink." Booker answered.

The receptionist looked at her book.

"Yes, there's just been a job opening for head of security. Your interview is at the Good Time Club down in Finkton proper."

Booker and Rosalind entered an elevator and began their descent to Finkton. The radio buzzed again.

"What is it this time, Fitzroy?"

"_I've seen molasses in January move faster than you, DeWitt. Hurry up, or else-_"

The cocking of a revolver was heard.

"_-she dies_."

A muffled cry of "Booker!" was heard.

"You. Will. Get. Those. Guns."

"_Pleasure doing business with you._"

The radio went silent. Just then, the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"_Mister DeWitt, I've heard so much about you! Oh, where are my manners? I'm Jeremiah Fink, head of Fink Manufacturing, and you've been selected as my new chief of security! Interview's at the Good Time Club, so be there or no job!_"

Booker hung up.

"I would hate to think of how such an opening was created. Perhaps jobs at Fink Manufacturing are passed down like the title of Caesar or King of Scotland." Rosalind whispered.

"What does that mean?" Booker asked.

"If you want the job, you kill your predecessor." Rosalind answered.

Booker gulped.


	24. Complications

Chapter 24: Complications

The elevator reached its destination somewhere above Finkton proper, and Booker and Rosalind egressed. A freight elevator brought them down to the streets, much to Rosalind's annoyance. After a good ten minutes, the elevator stopped moving and the two entered Finkton proper.

Rosalind pinched her nose as she and Booker wandered the streets. The odors of gasoline, rotting meat, and unwashed bodies wreaked havoc on her sense of smell. Up ahead was a crowd standing before what seemed to be an auction block.

"I thought slavery was dead." Booker commented upon seeing the crowd.

Rosalind looked up and saw titles upon the auction board.

"I believe that they're auctioning jobs." she whispered.

"Let's just find Chen Lin." Booker replied.

After several hours of walking, Booker and Rosalind found a nondescript building. From his pocket, Booker produced a piece of paper that Fitzroy had given him and compared it to the building's address. They matched, and the two entered what was presumably Chen Lin's residence and workshop.

Inside, they were greeted by silence. As they climbed up flights of stairs, something caught Rosalind's eye.

"Mister DeWitt." she whispered.

Booker turned around and saw the same thing as Rosalind. On the landing was a shrine of some sort, with a small statue of a man sitting with his legs crossed.

"Gautama Buddha." Rosalind whispered.

"What?" Booker asked.

"Founder of Buddhism. He sat under a tree for 49 days so that he could be enlightened and understand suffering." Rosalind explained.

"I've got a hunch that Comstock doesn't want any idols in this city except himself." Booker snarked.

"Boor." Rosalind grumbled.

After reaching the top of the staircase, Booker and Rosalind looked around for any sign of the guns or the tools that Chen Lin would have used to make them. Their search yielded nothing, so they prepared to leave. As they descended the stairs, they saw a Chinese woman kneeling before the shrine and weeping.

"Excuse me, but do you know somebody by the name of Chen Lin?" Booker asked.

"He is my husband." the woman answered in between sobs.

"Missis Lin, do you know where your husband is?" Rosalind asked.

"Flying squad took…him…away. I pray to Gautama Buddha that he will return alive."

"Where is he?" Booker demanded.

"They took him to the Good Time Club." Mrs. Lin answered.

"I feel for you, madam." Rosalind whispered.

Some time later, Booker called up Fitzroy.

"Fitzroy, we've had a complication." Booker began.

"_What kind of complication, DeWitt?_"

"Chen Lin's been arrested and taken to some place called the Good Time Club."

"_Then I suggest you two get your sorry white asses to the Good Time Club, because I've got two bullets and I'm not afraid to use them_."

Booker turned off the radio. A few minutes later, he and Rosalind entered the Good Time Club.


	25. Good Times

Chapter 25: Good Times

Booker and Rosalind entered the lobby of the Good Time Club and were greeted by an automaton.

"_Welcome, future Fink Industries employees, to the hiring process! As per Fink Industries policy, your eligibility shall be determined via a series of mortal combat scenarios. If you're still alive, you're hired!_" the automaton announced.

"At least I don't have to kill the first guy."

"But now it's a gladiatorial fight, DeWitt."

Booker rolled his eyes, readied his shotgun, and entered the gallery above the club proper. Rosalind followed him in. Out of the corner of his eye, Booker noticed tears floating around.

"Miss Lutece, can you open those things?" Booker asked, pointing at one.

Rosalind nodded. Just then, a blast of feedback echoed through the room.

"_Mister DeWitt, I presume?_" a voice asked after the feedback stopped.

"This is he." Booker answered.

"_Glad to see you came to your own interview. Now, let's meet the other contenders for my chief of security. First up: a devotee of the late Lady Comstock (Lord bless her soul) and a veteran of Peking, this man's an old hand with explosives and incendiaries. Ladies and gentleman, I, Jeremiah Fink, give you: the Fireman!_"

A spotlight lingered over the first contender: a burly fellow clad in fire-retardant armor. Booker looked at him once and remembered his own fight with an identical fellow. A prerecorded applause sounded, and then a bell rang. Before Booker could react, two men shoved him onto the floor below. A few moments later, Rosalind joined him.

"I'll burn ye!" the Fireman shouted.

Booker fired off Shock Jockey, paralyzed his opponent, and finished him off with a shotgun. Once he was sure that the Fireman was dead, he turned his attention to Fink's goons. Bucking Bronco, Murder of Crows, and Devil's Kiss all went off, while those who survived met their ends via the Triple R. Or most of them would have, had Booker not run out of ammunition.

"Out!"

Rosalind opened up a tear containing several magazines worth of ammunition.

"Catch!" she yelled.

Booker caught an incoming magazine, popped it into his gun, and then resumed shooting. When the shooting stopped, he sat down and took a deep breath. Just then, Fink's voice echoed through the room.

"_Impressive, DeWitt, but can you match our next contender? Oh, I picked this guy up a trade show for a song. Ladies and gentleman, from the highest echelons of the Fraternal Order of the Raven, I give you: the Zealot of the Lady!_"

The spotlight moved to the next contender, taking Booker's mind back to the lodge that he had precariously navigated. Before he could react, the Zealot turned into a murder of crows and descended upon Booker.

"Witness the fate of sympathizers of the lesser races!" the Zealot cried, swinging his sword at Booker's neck.

Booker ducked just in the nick of time and responded with lethal force. Once again, more of Fink's goons fell dead as Booker used his guns and Vigors to massacre them. When the dust cleared, Booker wiped his brow. Again, Fink's voice echoed out of the loudspeakers.

"_Two outta three isn't bad, DeWitt. But just a forewarning, the gloves are off! Our third and final contender is taking all our jobs, has no emotions, needs no food or drink or pay, and he doesn't complain in the least. Give a great big hand for: the Motorized Patriot!_"

The spotlight lingered on the clockwork machine, which only started to move after a man kicked it.

"RED IS THE PRICE OF LIBERTY!" it shouted as it opened fire with the Gatling gun.

Rosalind opened a tear, produced a metal breastwork, and then ducked behind it. Meanwhile, Booker broke out the Shock Jockey, zapped the Motorized Patriot, and then finished it off with a few good blasts to the exposed gears on its back. Surprisingly, no goons descended upon him this time. Just then, Fink's voice came back.

"_You're hired!_"

Shortly thereafter, Booker and Rosalind went backstage.

"Well, I can see why Fitzroy got the traction she did. Gladiatorial hiring processes, deplorable living conditions, jobs openly auctioned off to the highest bidder-"

"And a boss that makes the rogues gallery of robber barons I've worked for look like pretty swell guys."

Rosalind raised an eyebrow.

"I worked with the Pinkertons, remember?" Booker replied.

"I remember about those strikes you 'resolved'. So if that's what you mean, I'm fully aware of your past with the Pinkertons." Rosalind replied.

The two continued onward and found themselves in what appeared to be a jailhouse. In the room they were in, a talking picture was playing of some sort of interrogation. Viewing it, Rosalind deduced that the poor man being interrogated was Chen Lin.

_Good God._ she thought as she watched Chen Lin suffer.

The two progressed deeper into the jailhouse. A series of empty cells greeted them. After nearly an hour, the two arrived at what appeared to be the interrogation room. A light swung, illuminating a slumped body in the chair. Blood stained the immediate surroundings.

"Chen Lin, I presume?" Booker asked.

Rosalind took Chen's pulse. It was nonexistent.

"Mister DeWitt, this man has moved on."

The radio buzzed.

"_You got Chen Lin?_"

"There's been another complication, Fitzroy. Chen Lin's dead."

"_Well, I guess none of us gets what we want._"

Booker heard Elizabeth whimper, only for that whimper to break out into a full-out scream. The cocking of a revolver further unsettled Booker.

"Don't shoot!" Rosalind yelled.

"_Why shouldn't I?_" Fitzroy asked over the radio.

"I'm going to bring you another Chen Lin." Rosalind answered.

Fitzroy snorted.

"_I'll spare your friends for now, DeWitt. But if you don't bring me a live one, they're dead meat._"

"Fine."

The radio turned off, and Booker turned to Rosalind.

"So how are we going to bring this guy back?" Booker asked.

Rosalind produced a coin.

"How's that-"

"Heads or tails?"

"Heads."

Rosalind flipped the coin, and it landed heads.

"But what's that-"

"From your vantage point, it's heads. But if you were to get down onto the floor and look up, you would see tails."

"But how does that relate to us bringing a dead guy back to life?" Booker growled.

Rosalind opened a tear.

"This is our new vantage point."

And with that, Rosalind dragged Booker through the tear.


	26. Schrodinger's Gunsmith

Chapter 26: Schrodinger's Gunsmith

Booker opened his eyes and scanned the interrogation room in this alternate universe. No bloodstains adorned the floor and no corpse lay in the chair. Lying on the table were all manners of crimson guns, most of them hastily assembled. The din of shouting from the cells above rattled through his brain.

_Out of the frying pan and into the fire_.

Just then, Rosalind beckoned, and Booker followed her up. As they left, he grimaced at the sight of the prisoners rattling at the bars of their cells, each packed with two, three, even four persons. Curses in various European languages echoed in his ears as the two proceeded out of the jail and eventually the Good Time Club. The only difference that Booker seemed to notice was that red cloth lay willy-nilly in the rooms and corridors of the club.

After going through a similarly decorated Finkton, Booker and Rosalind entered Chen Lin's shop. This time, there was no machinery. As they ascended the steps, something caught Booker's eye.

"Rosalind?"

"What is it?"

Booker turned and pointed. The statue of Buddha was missing. In its stead was one of Comstock. Once they reached the top of the stairs, another scene greeted them. Chen Lin was pacing the floor while a white woman watched in horror.

"Missus Lin, I presume?" Booker asked.

The woman nodded.

"My name is DeWitt-"

"Something is very wrong here, Mister DeWitt. My husband's complaining about noise-"

Rosalind raised an eyebrow.

"Come see for yourself." Missus Lin demanded.

Suddenly, Chen Lin turned around. Booker's eyes went as wide as saucers as he saw the flickering phantasmagoria that was the gunsmith.

"Can't hear you over this din!" Chen Lin shouted.

Out of her eye, Rosalind noticed something about Chen Lin. She tapped Booker's shoulder and directed his gaze toward the man's face. Booker's skin went pale when he noticed that Chen Lin's nose was bleeding profusely.

"The mind of the subject will desperately struggle to create memories where there are none." Rosalind murmured.

"Help Chen for me!" Missus Lin ordered.

Booker and Rosalind nodded and left. Once outside, Booker turned to Rosalind.

"What the hell just happened?" he asked.

"Chen Lin being dead in the first universe and being alive in the second has had the nasty side effect of creating conflicting memories, hence the nosebleed."

"So his brain's discombobulated because he remembers both being dead and alive?"

Rosalind nodded.

"Maybe if we gave him his tools, we'd get him functioning again."

"If we knew where the tools were-"

Booker looked down and grabbed a piece of paper from the street.

"Search and seizure warrant."

Rosalind examined the warrant.

"Tools used by the suspected Vox Populi gunsmith known as Chen Lin. Once seized, take to impound at police station in Lower Finkton." she read.

"Then that's where we're headed." Booker replied


	27. Agony and Ecstasy

Chapter 27: Agony and Ecstasy

"He that spareth the rod hateth his son." Fitzroy began.

Elizabeth howled in pain as Fitzroy swung a birch rod across her bare buttocks. From his chair, Robert watched the whole scene in wide-eyed horror. It was one thing to beat a misbehaving child, but Elizabeth was not that. Horror turned to rage as he shook in his chair, hoping that it would fall over. Just then, a snapping noise was heard. Robert looked up and saw that Fitzroy's stick had broken. He grinned briefly.

"Niko, I need you to bare her back." Fitzroy ordered.

A Vox goon nodded and removed Elizabeth's shirt and corset.

"Get up."

Elizabeth, now stark-naked, stood up.

"Kneel- would you kindly?"

The Vox goon known as Niko pushed Elizabeth down, exposing her back. Fitzroy grinned as she readied a whip.

"You wouldn't dare." Robert growled.

The whip cracked as it struck Elizabeth's back, causing her to scream in unbridled agony. Niko winced as Fitzroy flogged the girl, all the while listening to her screams and howls. The poor thing received twenty lashes before Fitzroy threw the whip aside.

"Stand- would you kindly?"

Elizabeth staggered upright, only for Fitzroy to throw her onto the table. Corkscrew-like implements were twisted onto her bared nipples. As Fitzroy operated the things, Elizabeth's screams reached new heights.

"Scream all you want, Lamb of Columbia. Because nobody's coming to save you."

At that moment, Elizabeth wet herself in terror.

"Somebody get me a damned bucket, because the girl just pissed herself!" Fitzroy ordered.

Niko ran to fetch a bucket. Fitzroy looked over her scared and wounded victim with a bloodlust in her eyes.

"For all that is holy, cease and desist!" Robert yelled.

"No." Fitzroy retorted.

Down Elizabeth went to the floor on her hands and knees. Two other goons turned to each other, mutually disgusted by their boss's actions. Finally, Fitzroy and her lackeys all left, leaving an enraged and disgusted Robert Lutece with a weeping and naked Elizabeth.

"Our Father, which art in Heaven-" Elizabeth began.

"Deliver us from evil." Robert interrupted.

And in that moment, Robert wiped a tear from Elizabeth's face.


	28. Metropolis

Chapter 28: Metropolis

As their elevator descended into lower Finkton, Booker and Rosalind watched as the shacks and shanties of the locale replaced the workshops and clubs of Finkton proper.

"Looks like Comstock built his heaven on the back of Hell." Booker snarked.

Rosalind was speechless as she saw the poor wretched souls who dwelled in the slums below. Finally, the elevator stopped and the two got out. Almost immediately, they were overpowered by the stench. Cabbage, alcohol, sewer gas, and human body odor all mixed with each other to create the fetid miasma. When they finally adjusted to the smell, horror dawned on them.

"How do get used to this?" Rosalind asked.

"I stop caring." Booker answered.

As whole families gathered around dying fires in the streets, Booker saw the graffiti on the shacks. Anti-Semitic slurs seemed to be the most common. Other recurring subjects included pessimistic slogans and rather demonic renderings of Comstock, Fitzroy, and Fink. Hours passed as Booker and Rosalind wandered to the police station. Finally, they arrived and entered the building.

Once inside, they were met by what seemed to be an entire precinct of policemen and a Motorized Patriot.

"Kill them." the captain ordered.

Booker readied Possession and used it on the Motorized Patriot. Within seconds, the hostile police lay dead thanks to the automaton's Gatling gun. Once the smoke cleared, Booker and Rosalind proceeded to the basement. After several minutes, they arrived at the impound and noticed the great heap of seized tools.

"How are we going to get those back?" Booker asked.

Rosalind opened a tear and sent the tools back to the workshop.

"I'll be damned."

Just then, the sound of a door splintering was heard from upstairs.

"Oh boy."

Gunfire broke out as the Motorized Patriot began shooting at the intruders. Booker grabbed Rosalind's arm and bolted upstairs. Once back up, they noticed that a squad of soldiers lay dead, the Patriot had been destroyed, and an evidence case had been blown to bits. On the floor near the case lay a Vigor bottle. Booker ran to the bottle and examined it.

"Charge."

He removed the stopper (shaped like a ram's head) and drank. This time, swirling winds appeared on his wrists and then his hands returned to normal. Just then, the radio buzzed.

"_How's it going with Chen Lin_?"

"He's fine, Fitzroy. Now give me the girl, the man, and my airship."

Just then, Vox goons descended upon Booker and Rosalind.

"Fitzroy, what's going on?"

"_You brought me what I wanted. Keeping you around would just complicate the narrative_."

"Fitzroy!"

At that moment, all went black as the goons punched out their targets.


	29. Trust No One

Chapter 29: Trust No One

Booker came to in a jail cell. He looked down and noticed that somebody had bound his hands. His eyes darted around the cell. Three other forms were slunk over in the darkness.

"Should've known Fitzroy would welsh on me." he mumbled.

Just then, Fitzroy walked in.

"We had a deal, Fitzroy! I got you Chen Lin and his guns!"

"I just said you could see your friends alive. I didn't say anything about your airship or your leaving Columbia."

Booker threw himself at the bars, snarling at Fitzroy.

"I'll be seeing you in the morning, DeWitt." she snarked.

And with that, she left. Booker slunk back into the depths of his cell.

"Mister DeWitt? Is that you?" a familiar voice whimpered.

Booker turned around and saw Elizabeth slumped over.

"What's the ma-"

"Don't touch me!" Elizabeth shouted.

A lantern's light briefly swung over Elizabeth, revealing her next-to-naked form. Straw, bits of paper, and cloth bandages were the only thing clothing her.

"What happened?"

"Fitzroy happened." a man answered.

Booker turned around and saw Robert stand up.

"It started as soon as you left. Fitzroy furnished herself with brass knuckles and struck Elizabeth repeatedly. Later, she flogged her." Robert explained.

"And why is she naked?"

"Fitzroy stripped her to use the birch and whip."

Booker approached the cell doors and let loose a guttural roar of rage. Fitzroy would pay for what she did to Elizabeth.


	30. March to the Scaffold

Chapter 30: March to the Scaffold

Two days passed following Booker's capture. In that time, Robert and Rosalind nursed Elizabeth back to health and put her in one of Rosalind's old outfits, while Booker had sat in the corner and sulked. That morning, Daisy Fitzroy came down to the quartet's cell.

"What do you want this time?" Booker snarled.

Fitzroy opened the cell and slapped cuffs on Booker.

"What's going on?" Elizabeth asked.

Fitzroy moved on and cuffed Elizabeth.

"What do you want with us?" Booker demanded.

"I'm sending you two to Hell today." Fitzroy answered.

A rope was threaded between the duo's cuffs, and Fitzroy walked them up out of the jail. As they were escorted outward, Booker looked at their surroundings and realized something: they were in the Good Time Club.

_If they took Finkton in two days, I'd hate to see what else they can do_.

Booker and Elizabeth squinted as the sunlight nearly blinded them. A roaring crowd clad in red chanted Fitzroy's name like it was a magic spell.

"Booker, what's going on?" asked Elizabeth.

Booker was silent as Fitzroy loaded them onto a freight elevator. As Finkton became smaller, Elizabeth drew herself closer to Booker in fear. When it reached the top, one of Fitzroy's goons grabbed the rope and dragged them forward. As they proceeded, Elizabeth finally saw what she was being taken to: a gallows.

"Booker, tell me we aren't going to die."

Booker sighed and shook his head.

"You mean-"

Booker nodded, and the two ascended the scaffold. From behind, a well-dressed Fitzroy took a spot at a podium and began to speak.

"People of Columbia, before you stand the symbols of Comstock's oppression. The woman is his precious Lamb, or rather his damned harlot!"

The crowd cheered.

"The man is properly known as Booker DeWitt, but you may know him as the False Shepherd, Comstock's own private bogeyman!"

The crowd cheered again.

"What shall we do?"

"Hang! Hang! Hang!" the crowd chanted.

"The voice of the people has been heard! The sentence is death!"

The first noose was fitted around Elizabeth's neck, and she was led to the edge of the scaffold

"The Lamb dies today!" the crowd yelled.

Fitzroy shoved Elizabeth off the edge. The noose tightened around her throat, leaving her suspended over Columbia.

"Booker!" she cried as she fell.

On the scaffold, Fitzroy put the second noose on Booker's neck.

"Try and get out of this one, DeWitt." she taunted.

"I will, Fitzroy. And if I don't, my ghost will come and haunt you until the Judgement Day."

Booker was shoved forward, falling next to Elizabeth.

"Any way out?" Elizabeth asked.

"Not this time." Booker answered.

Suddenly, two gunshots were heard, the ropes were severed, and Booker and Elizabeth went plummeting. As they fell, Elizabeth grabbed a Skyline and began to ride down it. Booker held onto her for dear life.

"You said there was no way out, Booker!"

"I didn't expect anybody to shoot the ropes! And thanks for not calling me Mister DeWitt!"

"Any time!"

Just then, a security zeppelin entered Booker's field of view.

"Watch this." he snarked.

Elizabeth opened a tear over Booker's wrist and gave him his Skyhook.

"Good luck!"

Booker raced forward at high speed, hurtling toward the airship. He closed his eyes and jumped, his hook snagging on a cargo hook on the exterior of the zeppelin. He leapt inside. Two guards drew their guns.

_Time to Charge._

Booker trigged the new Vigor and raced forward, his Skyhook revving like a circular saw. The guards fell quickly, and he proceeded to the main engine. He destroyed it with ease, and then jumped out of the exploding airship. Below, the crowd watched as he raced down the Skyline in one piece. The chants of "Fitzroy!" and "For the Vox!" stopped.

"DeWitt! DeWitt! DeWitt!" the crowd chanted.

Fitzroy proceeded to sneak away as Booker landed in the crowd.

_You've won this round, Booker DeWitt. But I've got a secret weapon, and it's not just your avian friend._


	31. Blood of the Lamb

Chapter 31: Blood of the Lamb

Aboard the _Defiance_, Daisy Fitzroy was licking her wounds. DeWitt and the girl had cheated death and upstaged her at the same time. Now, he was probably on the fast track to becoming a hero for the Vox. Not that she was going to let that happen.

Fitzroy prepared a syringe and a vial full of a red liquid.

"Let's see what this stuff can do."

She loaded the syringe with the contents of the vial.

"Eat. Drink. This is her body, this is her blood. The blood of the Lamb."

Fitzroy raised her sleeve and plunged the needle into her veins. Within seconds, Elizabeth's blood had been drained from the syringe and entered Fitzroy's body. When she was certain the process had completed, she grasped at the air. A telltale shimmer appeared near each of her fists. Grinning, she opened the tear she had created.

"Comstock, thy day of reckoning has come."


	32. Escape from Finkton

Chapter 32: Escape from Finkton

"We've got to get out of here." Booker mouthed.

Elizabeth nodded, and Booker reached for his radio.

"DeWitt to Lutece. Come in, Lutece."

"_This is Rosalind. You two are clear to proceed. We'll try to bring the_ First Lady_ around to the nearest dock._"

Booker turned off the radio, and the two proceeded forward. Ever since the stunt at the execution, Fitzroy's goons were hunting Booker and Elizabeth. What Fitzroy was doing was pure conjecture, but Booker was sure she was doing something nefarious.

_Here's hoping this works_.

Out of the corner of his eye, Booker noticed something. He peeked out behind a crate and was shocked at what he saw. Nearby was a short figure, presumably a boy, wearing blue clothes that were way too small and a big brass helmet with giant funnels for ears. He tapped Elizabeth's shoulder.

"What the hell is that thing?" he whispered.

Elizabeth peeked out, and then put her fingers to her lips.

"What?" Booker asked.

_Be quiet._ Elizabeth signed.

_What the hell is that thing_? Booker signed back, pointing to the figure.

_Boy of Silence_. she signed.

"What?"

Just then, the thing screeched.

"That can't be good." Booker muttered.

Just then, gunshots rang out.

"RUN!" Elizabeth yelled.

Booker took his ward's advice and bolted for it. As he ran, he grabbed his radio.

"Rosalind, get the hell over here now!"

"_Can't! Flak cannons around the perimeter! You'll have to get to the dock!_"

Booker turned off the radio and continued running, eventually leaping onto a Skyline. Elizabeth rode piggyback. As the two raced across the track, Elizabeth noticed an ape-like form following them.

"Handyman!"

Booker turned around and shot the thing off the rail. After several minutes, they arrived at the dock.

"DeWitt to Lutece! We're at the rendezvous!"

"_Can't get to you right now! Still cleaning out the urine stains in the main room!_"

Elizabeth blushed at the mention of the stains. Meanwhile, Booker was gunning down Vox goons with ease. Suddenly, something caught Elizabeth's eye. It was a blue Vigor bottle labeled "Undertow". She threw the bottle at Booker, who promptly drank it. This time around, he saw barnacles growing on his arms.

_Let's see if this works_.

Booker used the new Vigor. To his surprise, it created a watery tentacle that sent its targets flying off the dock.

_I think I'm going to like this one_.

Just then, a Handyman with a red hood jumped down. Booker fired off Shock Jockey, Frostbite, and then his shotgun, promptly killing it. Up ahead, he saw a Skyline. He jumped up and began his ascent to a dock where he could presumably meet up with the _First Lady_. A squealing giggle from behind indicated that Elizabeth was following him up.

"ACHTUNG!" cried a man's voice.

Booker then noticed a burly Vox goon hurtling toward him at high speed.

_Two can play at this game, Kraut_.

Booker activated Charge. To his attacker, he just became a fast-moving blur moving right towards him.

SMACK! Booker's momentum was enough to send his attacker flying off the rail. Down he went, presumably to crash into the icy waters of the North Atlantic. Booker snorted as he saw the dock. Another Vox goon served as a convenient way to break his fall. He approached what seemed to be the entrance to an elevator, and Elizabeth soon landed behind him.

"DeWitt to Lutece. You done yet?"

"_Yes. I saw you come up. The gantry's just beneath you_."

Suddenly, the elevator came up. Out emerged the man from the raffle, backing away from something.

"DeWitt! HELP!"

Booker recognized the voice from his time at the Good Time Club.

"Jeremiah Fink, I presume?"

"Yes, yes! Help me! She's-"

A bullet to the brain cut off Fink's pleas. Out of the shadows emerged Daisy Fitzroy, holding a smoking revolver.

"You." Booker growled.

"He deserved it, DeWitt." Fitzroy replied.

Out of the corner, a little white boy whimpered. Fitzroy moved toward him, yanked him out, and put her gun to his head.

"The Founders are like weeds! You've got to take them out root and branch!"

"You're a monster, Fitzroy!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"This child is just the beginning! For far too long, we, the Vox Populi, have been oppressed. The Anglo-Saxon has oppressed the other races! The rich man has oppressed the poor man! The master has oppressed the slave! Imagine it, DeWitt. A world free of the taints that have oppressed us."

"Who else gets the block?"

"Anyone who tries to stop us."

Booker grabbed his Mauser and fired. His shot missed Fitzroy, but it was an ample distraction for the child to get away.

"Put your hands behind your head, Fitzroy."

Fitzroy ignored the order and put her hands on Fink's body. Booker watched as she smeared the blood across her face.

"We'll meet again, DeWitt."

And with that, Booker and Elizabeth watched in dumbfounded astonishment as Fitzroy opened a tear and left.

"How'd she do that?" Booker asked.

Elizabeth shrugged, and the two boarded the elevator that would take them to the Lutece twins. As a quiet piano piece played, Elizabeth leaned in and gave Booker a peck on the cheek.


	33. Never Sound Retreat

Chapter 33: Never Sound Retreat

From his bedchamber, Zachary Hale Comstock listened to the reports coming in from across Columbia. Riots in Finkton and Soldier's Field. Vox soldiers descending upon the First Lady Aerodrome. Bathers massacred at Battleship Bay. More Vox heading for Emporia. And the False Shepherd was everywhere.

"Lord, what is your prophet to do?" he asked.

A racking pain hit Comstock, causing him to double over.

"Lord, is it my appointed time already? Shall you not grant me the pleasure of slaying Fitzroy?"

The pain stopped.

"Now, what do you want me to do?"

Just then, Comstock got an idea. He picked up a telephone.

"Charles, I want you to prepare _The Hand of the Prophet_ for immediate takeoff…"


End file.
